Organizing and the Arts

The medium of exchange for organizers and leaders in the IAF mode is primarily oral and face to face.  Story telling lies at the heart of this endeavor.  Stories first shared one to one then developed inside of public events stir imaginations and challenge moral sensibilities.  Alinsky himself was a master, sometimes apocryphal, story teller. 

Stories of pain and hope, crafted to stand for the whole inside public events ("actions", assemblies, conventions), also find cultural expression in music, visual arts, essay, and videography.  Many of the public events organized in the Alinsky tradition assume a near liturgical shape and incorporate facets of the "work of the people" into structured formats.

An example of an event that embraces musicality inside of an IAF affiliated organization is the First Las Vegas Valley Community Convention held May 22, 2012 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Common Good Convention - May 22, 2012 from LVVISC - LV Valley Interfaith